A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to games in which players advance tokens along a specified game path, typically on a surface such as a game board. In particular, the present invention relates to question and answer games in which correct answers to questions advance the position of a player's token along the game path and in which the player risks being sent back to the start of the path by an antagonist element or character. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to such games that are adaptable for use for entertainment, as an educational tool for self study, family interaction and for single or group play and in a board or electronic format.
B. Background
Board games have a long history and are known to have been played in most cultures and societies for many years, even predating the development of literacy in some of the earliest civilizations. To a certain extent, the popularity of board games is based on the high degree of entertainment that is derived from the social interaction which comes from the combination of competition and comradery which is intrinsic to the game play. In addition to, and perhaps because of the entertainment value inherent in game playing, board games are useful as a forum for the development of many types of social cohesion, from family unity to community building, by cultures and communities throughout the world. Another social attribute of many board games is the ability to be used as an educational tool. The various social and entertainment factors contributing to the historical success of board games also contribute to the board game being used as an effective teaching tool.
As is commonly known, board games are typically played on a game board that has a playing surface which is delineated by a closed path divided into more or less equally-sized areas, each of which can be occupied by one or more game pieces or tokens. A player moves his or her token as determined by specific rules that govern the actual moves that a player is permitted or prohibited from making and the occupancy of different areas of the game path and/or game board. For example, a player may be allowed to move a token to an adjacent area, but not one further away. In addition, the direction of the course of play, that is, the direction in which players move their tokens, is often restricted according to the rules or goals of the game. The factors governing how far a token is moved along the game path and what happens when a player's token lands on a particular part of the game path are often outside of the player's control. As is well known, chance or luck often dictates how a game is played within the structural context of the rules and, as such, forms the basis for how players move their tokens along the game path. For example, the throwing of dice, the spinning of a wheel or other chance mechanism that is segmented into numerical or other indicators, or the drawing of lots or other devices, such as playing cards that indicate varying incremental values or specific instructions, are sometimes used to randomize the allowable movements of the tokens.
There are many board games in which the game play is substantially based on knowledge or skills testing. In one common format, these board games require the players to demonstrate their knowledge of a given subject or topic area through a question and answer format in order to advance their game token along the specified game path. Question and answer or trivia games, based on this type of game format are very popular. Generally, such games focus on either a specific subject area or a group of inter-related knowledge-based topics such as science, geography or popular culture. One popular example of such games are the Trivial Pursuit® line of games from Horn Abbot Ltd, in which a circular game piece is moved along a game path according to the player's ability to correctly respond to questions directed to various trivia subjects, both broadly and narrowly. If the player answers the question correctly, he or she places a colored pie-shaped component in the game piece. A number of question and answer games have been patented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,196 to Washko discloses a board game with tokens, game board and questionnaire cards wherein players advance through the game by testing their knowledge of public health topics. U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,376 to Jenkins discloses a trivia game that includes a game board having a plurality of linear playing paths and question and response cards that each have questions of differing levels of difficulty. Players select a level of difficulty and move their tokens along the path that corresponds to the chosen level of difficulty of the question cards. U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,578 to Coffey, discloses a board game used to study different educational subjects. The game includes game tokens, a series of interrelated game board units, and questionnaire cards that relate to the topics for study as assigned by the game. U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,800 to Konsala discloses a game apparatus comprising a game board having a map with a plurality of countries, each distinguishable from the others by color, for the study of geography.
Each of the aforementioned games contain various features and characteristics in the rules, game pieces, game board or method of play to distinguish that game from other games. Most of these games, as well as other similar games, are primarily predicated on chance and/or do not allow the player to demonstrate his or her knowledge of a wide range of topics. In addition, because many question and answer board games generally relate to a specific thematic focus that is predetermined by the subject of the game itself, they have the disadvantage of not being able to be easily amended or changed thematically to meet the desires or educational needs of its players. Board games wherein the players cast die, or primarily utilize other random means of determining how far one either advances or retreats through the course of the game, generally rely on chance or luck in order to win the game. In addition, the general format of many existing board games is designed for pre-set number of players, thus limiting the scope of both entertainment and potential educational benefit for a number of players outside of the parameters of the game. Frequently, though not usually the expressly intended purpose, board games that are based on a question and answer format which are tied to a specific subject matter can also be used as study tools to help players reinforce their knowledge in a given subject. The scope of many question and answer games that are currently available, however, is often limited to a relatively narrow range of competency within the given topic or subject area that defines the game.
Another relatively common type of game is one in which there is an antagonist feature or component that attempts to thwart the progress of one or more players along the specified game path. Typically, this type of game has a feature of the game board or a component directly associated with the game board that is configured to obstruct or inhibit the player's forward progress on the game path. The forward progress of a player's game token can be physically blocked by the antagonist feature, thereby preventing further movement of the token along the path, or the antagonist component can cause the player to have to move his or her token back to the beginning of the path or to a designated holding area on the game board. One example of such a feature is the “Go To Jail” space on the Monopoly® game board, which causes the player to be directed away from his or her normal forward movement to the “jail” area of the game board until he or she pays a fine, rolls a pair on the dice or makes a specified number of roll attempts. Another example of the use of an antagonist feature is the “Forbidden Bridge” game by Milton Bradley. In this game, the players tokens (representing explorer characters) move along a jungle path to obtain jewels and carry the jewels back to the start. Along the path, the token crosses a bridge that is configured to violently shake when the picture dice instructs the shaking to be activated, thereby risking tossing the token off the bridge and requiring it to go back to near the start of the game path. Another game from Milton Bradely is the “Back Off Buzzard” game, which utilizes a flying buzzard as the antagonist element. In this game, the buzzard swoops down to grab a player's token if the token happens to be positioned on the game board at a place where the buzzard can reach it. Once swooped up by the buzzard, the token is moved back to the start of the game. U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,481 to Goldfarb, et al. describes a game having an incrementally advancing catcher unit that moves on a game board path to catch the player's game piece on the path. In one configuration of this game, which is available as “Shark Attack!” from Milton Bradley, the catcher unit is a motorized shark and the game pieces are fish. The player rolls a dice to move the fish in an attempt to stay ahead of the shark so as to not be “eaten” by the shark. In each of the aforementioned games, the player moves along the game path in a relatively randomly selected (i.e., dice throw or spinner) manner and the movement or operation of the antagonist feature or component is initiated either randomly or routinely.
Although there are many question and answer or trivia-based games and games which utilize an antagonist element, there are few if any games that combine these features with random operation (i.e., not direct human controlled) of the antagonist element so as to present a game that is both entertaining and educational. The structure and rules that govern many existing board games which are based on a question and answer format are determined by various limiting factors, including the narrowness of scope in terms of subject matter that is based on a limited or general knowledge of a specific topic or subject matter in order to play. In addition, games of chance most often are informed only by the primacy of random probability in terms of luck or chance to determine how the game is won and not the player's knowledge of a given topic. The existing games having an antagonist feature or character primarily rely on chance with regard to whether the player will be negatively impacted by the feature/character. Generally, most such game formats are often structured to accommodate only a limited number of players in regards to optimal play.
What is needed, therefore, is a game that combines the educational benefits of a question and answer structure with the excitement associated with the unpredictability of games of chance that have an antagonist element which can prevent or undo the player's forward progress. More specifically, what is needed is such a game wherein the format is structured to accommodate a wide range of players, from a single player to a multiplicity of teams, and the subject matter can be easily adapted to suit the needs or desires of the players. The preferred game should have a format for being challenging and entertaining, as well as providing educational advantages which combines the challenges of testing a player's knowledge of a wide range of topics while providing the added challenge of overcoming obstacles through knowledge, skill and luck. The preferred game should be useful for the player to study and learn educational subjects based on his or her play of the game. The preferred game should be adaptable to a wide range of game formats, including a board game and an electronic game.